Citizens listen during a debate between Torrington mayoral candidates Elinor Carbone, a Republican, and Democrat George Craig at the Warner Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Laurie Gaboardi—Register Citizen

In a debate moderated by Waterbury Republican-American editor Jonathan Kellogg, mayoral candidates, George Craig, 62, a Democrat and Republican Elinor Carbone, 56, debated issues such as whether Torrington should switch to a municipal tax collection system, the traffic congestion caused by the Main Street Marketplace, and the municipal development plan. The mayoral seat is open, after Republican Mayor Ryan Bingham stepped down earlier this year after eight years in office.

Carbone, who is running for mayor with 10 years of experience on the Torrington Board of Education and the City Council, gave a more polished debate, citing her experience in her responses to questions posed to her by Kellogg.

Craig, a career businessman with a bachelor’s degree in administration, appealed more to the emotion of potential voters, arguing more for change in a city that for the past eight years has had “no accountability in government.” On some questions posed to him, he appeared uncertain.

The fiercest disagreements of the night involved issues such as the success or lack thereof the economic development plan, which branched out of a question about the future of the economic development commission in Torrington, or why the town is failing to attract or retain their volunteer firefighters.

The head of the economic development commission, William Baxter, had resigned citing a lack of funding for the commission from the TDC (Torrington Development Corporation), which stalled the infrastructure programs it wished to push downtown, with cuts reaching to the point where Baxter’s salary couldn’t be met.

Carbone, who was a member of that committee for eight years, argued that the economic development commission should be retained rather than scrapped because of the progress that had been made already, despite a stall in the municipal development project due to a downturn in the economy. She cited sidewalks that have been put on Water Street and Main Street, which she said were “consistent with that plan.”

Craig made a stronger argument on this point by arguing that despite the plan being a good idea, the cost and money needed to complete the plan is “astronomical.”

“In today’s economic situation, there’s no possible way we could afford that,” Craig said. “It would cost around $75 million with $50 million from the state. It’s a great project but is not feasible in today’s economy.”

The argument contained with several rebuttals from the candidates, culminating with Craig standing up and addressing the crowd, emphasizing that his goal as mayor would be to bring more people downtown, which would include having some classes from UConn Torrington downtown, bringing more students into the community.

In agreement with Craig on his point of wanting to attract more people downtown, Carbone also stated that it was important for UConn to be more visible in the community.

The candidates disagreed over the reason volunteer firefighters are decreasing in Torrington when posed how their role as chairman on the board of public safety would play into their resolution of the matter.

Craig argued that offering a tax break or incentive to volunteer firefighters would give them a reason to volunteer and would reduce the tension between them and paid firefighters.

Carbone said she did not believe tax breaks were the solution.

“Tax incentives are not the reason they volunteer—they want to make a contribution to their community, Carbone said. “I would help volunteer departments to develop personal relationships with volunteers to keep them coming back and keep them connected to their community.”

More disagreement came over whether to change the Main Street Marketplace, whose foot traffic and congestion has bothered some local store owners. Carbone argued to keep it as is with no changes because of how much energy it brings to the city while Craig suggested moving it north to the historical society and to Sunday afternoons.

The candidates also disagreed over whether to keep a private tax collector or to move to a municipal tax collection office. Carbone argued to keep the private collector, keeping Torrington as the only city in the state to have one, while Craig argued that despite the money it would over the next two years to make the switch, Torrington would be better off without a private collector, Robert Crovo, who is now suing the city.

Both candidates agreed that more focus on manufacturing would be good for the city, that there should be an emphasis on improving the economy and there needed to be more of a focus on bringing more people downtown. There was some humor surrounding over which candidate would be more likely to have a beer this summer at a Titans game at Fuessenich Park regarding the new law allowing alcohol to be served at the games. Craig was all for it asking if he could “have a Bud right now,” while Carbone facetiously asked Kellogg if it was a loaded question because she was the lone vote on the council to ban alcohol at the games.

Both candidates presented clear and concise arguments. Jim Obst, 40, a member of the audience, said after the debate that he believed it was a “draw” and he was still “undecided about how he was going to vote.”

The debate at the Warner Theatre on Thursday night was first and only debate between the candidates before the election. Two other candidates, petitioning Independent candidate Giulio Romano and unaffiliated write-in candidate Jacque Williams, did not take part in the debate.